The US military has emailed staff and asked them to submit suggestions on how to ‘punish’ Iran as the war drags on.
A senior US military command sent out the email, seen by CNN, to high-ranking military analysts last week, asking for ‘new, creative, and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran’.
The email is the latest bid by Donald Trump’s administration to end the ongoing war with Iran, which began in late February.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins told the outlet: ‘US. Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways.
‘Admiral Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.’
The email came shortly before Trump threatened to launch new strikes against Iran last week, before calling them off shortly before.
The US president said his decision to cancel the attack was ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL’ in a post on Truth Social.
Days ago, US troops across the Middle East were warned that videos filmed on their phones could help Iran carry out and assess attacks on them and their military colleagues.
Personnel at some bases may even be ordered by superiors to hand over their devices while they’re deployed.
Admiral Bradford ‘Brad’ Cooper, the US’ senior commander overseeing the Iran war, said that video footage posted online was allowing Tehran to evaluate its strikes in near real time.
Cooper’s intervention follows the deaths of four US troops in recent weeks. Fighting resumed after Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran collapsed.
But there appears to be little progress on securing a lasting end to the war, after the US military carried out a ‘heavy wave’ of strikes on Thursday in retaliation for attempted Iranian strikes on Tuesday.
The war in Iran has now been going on for more than five months after the first attacks were launched by the US and Israel on March 1, despite the president repeatedly promising he could bring it to a speedy resolution.
Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to near-historic lows among the US public – beaten only by Richard Nixon shortly before his resignation over Watergate.
He has also come under immense pressure from world leaders to find a way of ending the war, as the impact on oil continues to have a massive impact on economies around the globe.
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